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This is the first intermediate-student edition of a selection from Apuleius'
Metamorphoses V. Sections 11-24 are included as Latin text with an accompanying commentary and vocabulary. Focusing on a deliberately concise extract from the original, this edition is designed to be manageable for students reading the text for the first time while also perfectly encapsulating the interest of the longer work and inspiring further study of it. A detailed introduction explains points of literary and stylistic interest, encompassing the beginning of the story, from
Metamorphoses IV, section 28.
Apuleius is considered one of the great Latin stylists. The tale of Cupid and Psyche, a story set within the larger narrative of his novel, the
Metamorphoses, follows the romance of the god of love, Cupid, and his mortal lover, Psyche, brought to disaster by the wiles of Psyche's wicked sisters and the anger of Venus, but eventually reconciled. It is both an adventure story, and an allegory for the relationship between the soul and desire. The selection here contains some of the most hauntingly beautiful Latin prose which has come down to us and gives an unparallelled insight into the relationship between philosophy, religion, and art under the high empire.
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Stuart R. Thomson teaches Classics at Christ's Hospital, UK.
